Monday, April 17, 2006
Food, Glorious Food
On my recent short trip I noted again a phenomenon that has struck me on other trips. Travelling whets the appetite. Yes, you might say. Travelling piques our interest in new places, cultures, and peoples. I agree, but in this instance, I mean literally that travelling makes me hungry. Or to be more succinct, I think travelling makes me avaricious and voracious when it comes to food.
Eating a little more while on a trip sounds normal, right? My trip included wedding and birthday celebrations that quite logically produced copious amounts of enticing edibles. But I was perplexed by the fact that I not only ate much larger amounts of food at each repast than I normally would at home, but I also found myself craving even more!
I blame some of this self-defeating behavior on my mother. It started the morning after my arrival. To be fair, first she did offer me my usual bagel. A bagel.....AND a giant muffin, AND cereal, AND blueberry waffles, AND a banana AND an orange AND of course a big glass of milk because I “don’t get enough calcium” in her opinion. That breakfast started the pattern of eating much more than I needed, or really wanted. And it only got worse.
For instance, at the wedding brunch we enjoyed a dinner salad along with a fruit plate, chicken cordon bleu with bacon mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and butter, and cake. Plenty of food for a lunch, right? And I thought I felt sated. Then why was I coveting the half-eaten chicken so nonchalantly left on the plate of the guest to my right? Why did I salivate uncontrollably at the second slice of cake mistakenly placed before me? And why, on a full stomach, was I already relishing the thought of the upcoming wedding reception refreshments?!
Throughout the trip, the next meal and its menu were constantly on my mind. And in between meals my eagle eyes vigilantly scanned the food-scape for something on which to graze—crackers and cheese, pretzels, jelly beans, trail mix, licorice, nuts, Easter eggs, ice cream, dried fruit—I was not picky. And I was not particularly hungry either, yet I was compelled to eat. But why? As I analyzed my behavior, I decided that perhaps the stressful situations triggered my eating. Or perhaps it was a survival instinct. Since I was not entirely in control of when and what I would eat, I ate whenever and whatever I could!
Now that I’m back home, the craving and covetousness are gone. Thankfully, the urge to binge has disappeared. Today, old-fashioned oatmeal and savory soup replaced the high-calorie cuisine and scrumptious snacks that allured me. And I hope the last vestiges of my food frenzy will dissipate in the long run that I will take later this week.
Eating a little more while on a trip sounds normal, right? My trip included wedding and birthday celebrations that quite logically produced copious amounts of enticing edibles. But I was perplexed by the fact that I not only ate much larger amounts of food at each repast than I normally would at home, but I also found myself craving even more!
I blame some of this self-defeating behavior on my mother. It started the morning after my arrival. To be fair, first she did offer me my usual bagel. A bagel.....AND a giant muffin, AND cereal, AND blueberry waffles, AND a banana AND an orange AND of course a big glass of milk because I “don’t get enough calcium” in her opinion. That breakfast started the pattern of eating much more than I needed, or really wanted. And it only got worse.
For instance, at the wedding brunch we enjoyed a dinner salad along with a fruit plate, chicken cordon bleu with bacon mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls and butter, and cake. Plenty of food for a lunch, right? And I thought I felt sated. Then why was I coveting the half-eaten chicken so nonchalantly left on the plate of the guest to my right? Why did I salivate uncontrollably at the second slice of cake mistakenly placed before me? And why, on a full stomach, was I already relishing the thought of the upcoming wedding reception refreshments?!
Throughout the trip, the next meal and its menu were constantly on my mind. And in between meals my eagle eyes vigilantly scanned the food-scape for something on which to graze—crackers and cheese, pretzels, jelly beans, trail mix, licorice, nuts, Easter eggs, ice cream, dried fruit—I was not picky. And I was not particularly hungry either, yet I was compelled to eat. But why? As I analyzed my behavior, I decided that perhaps the stressful situations triggered my eating. Or perhaps it was a survival instinct. Since I was not entirely in control of when and what I would eat, I ate whenever and whatever I could!
Now that I’m back home, the craving and covetousness are gone. Thankfully, the urge to binge has disappeared. Today, old-fashioned oatmeal and savory soup replaced the high-calorie cuisine and scrumptious snacks that allured me. And I hope the last vestiges of my food frenzy will dissipate in the long run that I will take later this week.
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Let's see, your not feeling entirely in control leads to a stressful condition...sounds real believable to me. LOL
First of all, I was interested to note that you used "in the long run" literally, rather than metaphorically for the first time in several entries. How versatile! As I sat here reading your entry, I found myself getting quite hungry! Other than the bowl of cereal I had this morning, I haven't eaten anything today, so your description of the food choices you had over the weekend has forced me to consider that Burger King out the window and to my left… Now maybe you understand why I am such a fan of the Skybox – If you go there with watching sporting events as your main priority, you will inevitably eat less! Okay, so in reality, I do seem to pull off the dual feat of watching sports and eating a ton of food with ease, but I thought I'd throw out a defense of the Sports Grille…
I think you hit the nail on the head with the "control" issue and not knowing when and where you will be eating. I do that too, only I do that at home, as well. For instance, the kids are in bed, the house is quiet, I better hurry up and grab some chocolate before they wake up and I have to change another diaper or something... Or maybe it's knowing that I'm competing with 3 other people for that tub of ice cream in the freezer -- I better hurry and have some more before they eat it all gone! Such primal instincts... sigh. I was much skinnier when I lived alone.
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